1. Field
Embodiments relate to a rechargeable battery pack.
2. Description of the Related Art
A rechargeable battery can be recharged and discharged repeatedly, unlike a primary battery. A small-capacity rechargeable battery is used for small portable electronic devices such as mobile phones, notebook computers, camcorders, and the like, while a large-capacity rechargeable battery is used as a motor-driving power source for a hybrid vehicle or the like.
Typical rechargeable batteries include a nickel-cadmium (Ni—Cd) battery, a nickel-hydrogen (Ni—NH) battery, a lithium (Li) battery, a lithium ion (Li-ion) rechargeable battery, and the like. An operating voltage of the lithium ion rechargeable battery is approximately three times higher than that of the nickel-cadmium battery or the nickel-hydrogen commonly used in portable electronic equipments. In addition, the lithium ion rechargeable battery is widely used due to advantages in terms of higher energy density per unit weight.
The rechargeable battery may use a lithium-based oxide as a positive active material, and a carbon material as a negative active material. In general, the lithium-based rechargeable batteries may be classified into a liquid electrolyte battery and a polymer electrolyte battery depending on the kinds of electrolyte. A battery using the liquid electrolyte is referred to as a lithium ion battery and a battery using the polymer electrolyte is referred to as a lithium polymer battery.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the described technology and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.